The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.
Mobile appliances such as notebook computers, netbooks, mobile telephones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), digital cameras, and game consoles have become widespread in recent years. Such mobile appliances need to be small and light to make them easy to carry. As one example, a touch panel-type information display apparatus is known where a display function and an operation function are integrated by providing a transparent touch sensor on the display screen of a flat screen-type information display apparatus, which may use a liquid crystal display element, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display element, or the like. Such a touch panel-type information display apparatus receives an operation input (such as a selection of a menu item displayed on a display screen) by detecting a user's finger or the like that touches the touch sensor provided on the display screen. Notebook computers and netbooks equipped with a touchpad that uses a plate-like sensor as a pointing device are also known.
An operation input such as selecting or confirming display information carried out using the touch sensor or touch pad mentioned above is made with the condition that the sensor needs to be completely touched by the user's finger or the like.
Meanwhile, as a new operation input method, a near-field detection-type information display apparatus that receives an operation input in accordance with movement of the user's finger or the like in a noncontact state above the screen of a display panel has been proposed (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-117371).